Best Museum Virtual Tours in Japan

Numbers of museums and galleries in Japan are currently shut down during the Coronavirus outbreak. However, some of museums offer virtual tour into their exhibitions. With much appreciation for the digital era that we live, we can actually visit some of the world’s greatest museums and galleries online using the Google Arts & Culture Street View including Louvre Museum and British Museum. Moreover, it’s free. How great to enjoy the world’s masterpieces without any crowds and sitting comfortably on your sofa!

Some of museums in Japan also are listed on the Google Arts & Culture, too. In this article, I am going to introduce some of the greatest museums and art galleries in Japan, offering free virtual tours online. Indulge yourself with greatest Japanese art works from home!

-Museums in Tokyo

For museums offering virtual tours in Tokyo, please check the following link below!

-Kyoto National Museum

Kyoto National Museum (京都国立博物館) is one of the oldest and the largest museums in Japan. The museum mainly focuses on pre-modern Japanese art, and exhibits both permanent and temporary exhibitions through the year. There are over 8,000 works in the museum in total and the collection includes 29 National Treasures and 196 Important Cultural Properties. Unfortunately, a virtual tour through the museum is not available, however, the online exhibition is available with over 200 artworks of the museum.

-Kyoto Prefectural Domoto Insho Museum of Fine Art

Kyoto Prefectural Domoto Insho Museum of Fine Art (京都府立堂本印象美術館) is an art museum, founded by Insho Domoto in 1966 and it’s dedicated to his art works. Insho Domoto is one of the greatest Japanese painter who lived 1891–1975. He has also designed all the interior and exterior of the building. The museum showcases an extensive collection of Insho Domoto’s artworks including his masterpiece of Nihonga and abstract paintings. If you go on a virtual tour at his museum, you can experience his amazing creation including paintings and the architectural design.

-Ohara Museum of Art

Ohara Museum of Art (大原美術館) is located within the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter in Okayama Prefecture, opened as the first collection of Western art in 1930. The museum houses numbers of masterpiece art works by Picasso, Gauguin, Monet, El Greco and more, and around 40 items are available on the virtual tour.

-The Sand Museum

The Sand Museum (砂の美術館) opened in Tottori Sand Dunes in Tottori Prefecture in 2012 as the world’s first permanent indoor exhibition hall dedicated to the sand art. The exhibition features sand sculptures created by the world’s greatest, and the artworks are made every year as the theme of the exhibition changes annually. The themes are usually countries or continents, and impressively detailed sand replicas of world’s famous landmarks are displayed including Taj Mahal, Schloss Belvedere and Machu Pichu. Take a virtual tour to see the unique art made with sand!

-Adachi Museum of Art

Adachi Museum of Art (足立美術館) is a modern Japanese art museum in Yasugi, Shimane Prefecture which was founded by Zenko Adachi in 1970. The museum is best known for the spectacular landscape garden which was designed and constructed by Zenko Adachi himself. The garden has been awarded as the best garden in Japan for 16 consecutive years by the “Journal of Japanese Gardening”. The museum houses an impressive collection of modern Japanese art including over 100 paintings by Taikan Yokoyama. Adachi hoped that visitors feel the resonance between the Japanese style garden and the artworks of Taikan Yokoyama at the museum. About 140 artworks can be seen through the Google Art & Culture Street View at Adachi Museum including the picturesque Japanese Garden and some of the finest Japanese art pieces.

-Fukuoka Asian Art Museum

Fukuoka Asian Art Museum (福岡アジア美術館) is the only museum in the world that systematically collects and displays modern and contemporary art works from variety of Asian countries. The museum showcases the uniqueness and charm of Asian art which is different from Western art and represents the ever-changing modern Asian culture. Through the virtual tour, you can view about 150 items from the art collection of the museum including oil paintings, sculptures and contemporary creations.

Thanks for reading! Which museum on the list is your favourite?? If you like any of the listed museums, make sure to plan an actual visit for your next trip to Japan once the coronavirus outbreak is over!!

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